CARROLLTON — Political candidates here may soon lose their excuses for placing their political signs anywhere they like in the city.

The Carrollton City Council plans to vote on an amended ordinance next week that will specify how far away the signs can be from the city streets. Carrollton Mayor Kevin Falconer said the ordinance's updated language will clear any doubts for candidates seeking to run in the upcoming elections.

"It's [the amended ordinance]... cleaner to make sure there is no confusion, clarify where you can place the signs and ensure the time limit is only for public areas," Falconer said Tuesday.

Two political signs sit on a vacant lot near Josey Lane in Carrollton on Jan. 18, 2018.

(Elvia Limón /Staff Writer)

If it were to pass, it would require political signs to be placed behind a sidewalk or 10 feet away from the edge of the street in areas around Carrollton where there is no sidewalk. The new ordinance would also clarify that signs must be removed five days after an election if they sit on public property, a specification the current ordinance does not have.

Meredith Ladd, Carrollton city attorney, said Thursday that signs on private property can stay there indefinitely as long as they are not damaged.

The current ordinance states the signs cannot be placed on a "public right of way, median, city park, city facility" or other public property. The ordinance also states political signs cannot be illuminated, have any type of moving parts or nailed on trees located on city government property, utility posts, traffic signs or street lights.

Falconer, who won the mayoral seat in November, said his recent campaigning experience made him aware of the current ordinance's vague language. He said one of the issues is trying to figure out what a "public right of way" is, since it is different at each property.

Rights of ways "can be difficult to know because there isn't a city line or a line drawn in the dirt," he said. "The only way to know for sure is to pull up maps, which is not practical."

Scott Hudson, director of environmental services for Carrollton, said candidates who place a sign in an illegal spot will be contacted and asked to remove it.

If candidates do not comply, Carrollton city officials will remove the signs free of charge, but the candidate will not be allowed to retrieve them until after an election, Hudson said.

He said the changes will make it easier for city officials to enforce the ordinance and keep public spaces safe for pedestrians and drivers.

"While code enforcement receives relatively few calls about political signs, the requests often relate to public safety, especially traffic, especially traffic visibility, or seek clarification about where signs may be placed," Hudson said.